Self-standing animal shaped purse with articulating limbs

ABSTRACT

A self-standing animal shaped purse incorporates an animal shaped cover having a head, fore legs, hind legs and a tail. A purse liner provides an open volume for carrying personal items and is suspended within the animal shaped cover. A zipper or similar closure is provided for access to the liner. An articulating element movably supports the fore legs and head and a second articulating element movably supports the hind legs and tail. In an exemplary embodiment, the articulating elements are Y-shaped members with multiple ball and socket joints arranged on each of the elements of the Y.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to fashion and novelty purses and more specifically to a purse in the shape of an animal such as a dog with as articulating limb structure allowing the purse to be manipulated in shape and to be self-standing.

2. Description of the Related Art

Ladies and girls purses have been created with varying shapes and exterior motifs. Purses and back packs in the shape of animals provide an interesting appearance for a parse while retaining functionality for carrying personal items. Some purses have adopted very realistic animal representations such as dogs or eats which give the appearance that the wearer of the purse is actually carrying a live animal. Other such purses provide a fanciful appearance with novel fabrics and patterns.

For a purse having a rounded body, when the purse is set down upon a surface, it tends to roll and, if unclasped, the contents may spill. Additionally, for purses in the shape of an animal, if legs are employed as a portion of the representation, the animal may assume a squashed appearance when places on a surface.

Additionally, for animal purses, additional expression can be provided if the animal represented can be placed in different shapes which are retained.

It is therefore desirable to provide a purse with the appearance of an animal that remains securely positioned when placed on a surface if desired and allows manipulation of the legs and other appendages to assume a desired position by the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A self-standing animal shaped purse according to the present invention incorporates an animal shaped cover having ahead, fore legs, hind legs and a tail. A purse liner provides an open volume for carrying personal items and is suspended within the animal shaped cover. A zipper or similar closure is provided for access to the liner. An articulating element movably supports the fore legs and head and a second articulating element movably supports the hind legs and tail. In an exemplary embodiment, the articulating elements are Y-shaped members with multiple ball and socket joints arranged on each of the elements of the Y.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric top view of an exemplary animal purse in the shape of a Dachshund incorporating the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the purse of FIG. 1 with the exterior of the dog shown in phantom to detail the articulating support structure;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the forward articulating support structure of the exemplary embodiment:

FIG. 4 is a front view of the rear articulating support structure of the exemplary embodiment; and,

FIG. 5 is a front view of an alternative articulating support structure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a purse incorporating the present invention. For the example shown, the purse is created in the shape of a Dachshund puppy. Other dog breeds as well as cats or other quadrapedal animals may be equally simulated with the inventive structure. The dog shape includes a head 12, neck 14 and body 36 with fore legs 18 depending from the chest portion of the body and rear legs 20 depending from the hind quarters. A tail 22 is incorporated in its normal position.

The functional purse elements include a liner 24 incorporated within the body of the dog. A zipper 26 provides a closure for the liner along the back surface of the body. Strap attachments loops 28 and 30 provide attachment points for a sling strap (not shown) on the head and hind quarters of the dog respectively.

The interstitial space (represented nominally by element 32) between the exterior covering or skin of the dog and the purse liner as well as the head and appendages is filled with a resilient stuffing material 34 which maintains the basic shape of the dog. The stuffing material is packed sufficiently to maintain substantial longitudinal rigidity in the dog. Additional rigidity may be provided in alternative embodiments with rods or resilient structural elements 35 integral with the purse liner which additionally may maintain a fixed cavity opening in the purse for desired contents. Longitudinal elements such as those shown may also increase the longitudinal rigidity of the overall purse.

Fore and hind articulating support elements 40 and 42, respectively, provide rigidity in the fore legs and neck, and rear leas and tail. For the embodiment shown, the articulating support elements are Y shaped members having multiple cup and ball joints 44 (seen best in FIGS. 3 and 4. The fore articulating support element extends into the fore legs with leg sections 46 and into the neck of the dog with upper section 48. The cup and ball joints in the leg sections allow the fore legs to be positioned as desired by the wearer in a curled or forward position simulating the god lying down or in a straight position for a standing dog. The upper section of the support element positions the head of the dog in an upright or lowered position.

Similarly, the hind articulating support elements extends into the hind legs with leg sections 50 and into the tail with upper section 52. As with the forelegs, the hind legs are positionable using the cup and ball joints in the articulating support element in a forward or rearward extended position or curled to simulate the dog lying down or extended straight for a standing position. The upper element allows positioning of the tail in a desired form; upright, curled or back as may be desired or as appropriate for the breed of dog simulated by the purse.

The manipulatable support provided by the articulating support elements allows the dog to be positioned, and balanced using the fore and hind legs as well as the neck and tail, to be self standing in a stable position. This provides not only a realistic appearance to the dog but provides a practical benefit of allowing the user to search for, remove or insert items in the open purse element.

For the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the articulating support elements are Y-shaped with a junction element 56 interconnecting the upper and leg sections. In alternative embodiments, a squared center section 58 as shown in FIG. 5 is employed in one or both support elements for a broader or squarer shaped dog or animal. The multiple cup and ball elements in each section for the embodiment shown allow greater flexibility in positioning the limbs of the dog. Further, the number of elements is easily expandable for longer limbs, tail or neck in the animal simulated by the purse. In alternative embodiments a reduced number of cup and ball elements may be employed to more closely simulate the actual joints of a dog or to increase rigidity of the limbs for enhanced self-standing performance.

Having now described the invention in detail as required by the patent statutes, those skilled in the art will recognize modifications and substitutions to the specific embodiments disclosed herein. Such modifications are within the scope and intent of the present invention as defined in the following claims. 

1. A self-standing animal shaped purse comprising: an animal shaped cover having a head, fore legs, hind legs and a tail; a purse liner providing an open volume for carrying personal items, said purse liner suspended within the animal shaped cover and having means for access; an articulating element for movably supporting the fore legs and head; and, a second articulating element for movable supporting the hind legs and tail.
 2. A self-standing animal shaped purse as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for access comprises a closure along a back surface of the cover.
 3. A self-standing animal shaped purse as defined in claim 1 wherein the purse liner is spaced from the cover and rigidity of the cover is maintained by a resilient stuffing.
 4. A self-standing animal shaped purse as defined in claim 2 wherein the closure incorporates a zipper.
 5. A self-standing animal shaped purse as defined in claim 1 wherein the articulating element comprises a Y-shaped member having a plurality of joints on each element of the Y.
 6. A self-standing animal shaped purse as defined in claim 5 wherein the joints comprise ball and socket joints.
 7. A self-standing animal shaped purse as defined in claim 1 wherein the second articulating element comprises a Y-shaped member having a plurality of joints on each element of the Y.
 8. A self-standing animal shaped purse as defined in claim 7 wherein the joints comprise ball and socket joints.
 9. A self-standing animal shaped purse as defined in claim 1 wherein the liner incorporates at least one longitudinal structural element.
 10. A self-standing animal shaped purse comprising: an animal shaped cover having a head, fore legs, hind legs and a tail; a purse liner providing an open volume for carrying personal items, said purse liner suspended within the animal shaped cover and having a closure on a back surface of the animal; a Y-shaped articulating element having a plurality of ball and socket joints for movably supporting the fore legs and head; and, a second Y-shaped articulating element having a plurality of for movable supporting the hind legs and tail.
 11. A self-standing animal shaped purse as defined in claim 10 wherein the liner incorporates at least one longitudinal structural element. 